Senior Victim Advocate (Social Services Specialist III)

This position includes a signing bonus of $2,500 (full-time) for new county hires. This position works as part of the Division of Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (DSVS) to provide advocacy services. The DSVS has recently completed a strategic plan and refreshed its mission, vision, and values to align with the DFS Mission, Vision, and Values and the One Fairfax Policy. Responsibilities Provide advocacy services including crisis intervention, emotional support, options counseling, safety planning, education of the civil and criminal justice system, court advocacy, and court accompaniment. Provide onsite advocacy services at the Fairfax Court Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court (JDRDC) and General District Court, including intake of client requests, court accompaniment, and coordination with court staff. Receive and triage client requests from the main line and other referral sources; resolve by providing advocacy services, information, safety planning, or referrals. Collect data and report on goals and measures around advocacy team services. Facilitate access to court and legal information for victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking. Perform short‑term case management, conducting risk assessment, identifying client needs, developing safety and service plans, supporting clients in accessing resources and services, monitoring service plans, and documenting all case‑management activities in the client’s record. Represent DSVS in the coordinated community response to domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, and human trafficking by participating in committees, workgroups, and outreach efforts locally and regionally. Serve as liaison and subject matter expert on domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking, including staffing cases. Provide training and technical assistance for the county and community agencies. Develop and provide needed court training to DSVS staff and volunteers regarding victims of domestic and sexual violence and stalking. Assist with Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) line follow‑up tasks such as reviewing messages and assigning cases to staff. Work with the Advocacy Services Supervisor to assess staff and volunteer training needs and arrange necessary training. Provide supervisory assistance and leadership in the absence of the Advocacy Services Supervisor, assist with setting up the weekly schedule, and ensure adequate coverage. Provide rotational coverage of the program’s 24‑hour crisis lines and respond to requests for hospital accompaniment. Perform other duties as assigned. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Knowledge of principles of interpersonal violence accountability and community resources available to those who perpetrate violence. Knowledge of the relationship between trauma impact and domestic violence problems. Knowledge about best practices and domestic violence intervention, particularly in safety planning. Ability to assist other professionals with connecting clients to advocacy services. Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal skills. Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with subordinates, co‑workers, county officials, public and private sector organizations, community groups, and the general public. Ability to develop and maintain working relationships with partner agencies, including court services, legal services, law enforcement, shelter, and other service providers in Fairfax County. Ability to use automated systems and technological tools the County may provide to carry out duties. Ability to interview, assess needs, counsel, and refer clients to other resources as needed. Ability to assess safety, risk, and protective capacity. Critical thinking skills and ability to apply knowledge and research. Ability to meet deadlines and keep up with documentation. Minimum Qualifications Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a human services field; OR minimum of a bachelor’s degree in any field with a minimum of two years of appropriate and related experience in a Human Services area. Individuals who do not meet the degree requirement at the time of application must be in their last semester of a degree program that will meet the requirements listed above. Certificates and Licenses Required Valid driver’s license. Necessary Special Requirements The appointee will be required to complete a criminal background check, child protective services check, and driving record check to the satisfaction of the employer. Bonus Eligibility Positions within this classification that are general merit may be eligible for a one‑time hiring incentive bonus for new county employees only. This bonus program requires a signed payback agreement between the department and employee. Preferred Qualifications Master’s degree in social work or a related human services field. Three (3) years of increasingly responsible, directly related professional experience in the social services or human services field. At least three (3) years of full‑time equivalent experience working with victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, and/or human trafficking. At least three (3) years of experience working in the victim advocacy field. At least three (3) years working with court services and court systems. Experience working with a diverse multicultural population. Physical Requirements Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing; ability to use automated technology to access, input, retrieve, and process information; must be able to transport self to different work sites or locations as needed; employee may be required to lift up to 15 lbs. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations. Selection Procedure Panel interview and may include exercise. Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home (including Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and many others). We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity. Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce. Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY View phone number on click.appcast.io. View email address on click.appcast.io. EEO/AA/TTY. #J-18808-Ljbffr Fairfax County